Driven to the Edge
by GreenAmber179
Summary: Hawke has been waiting three years for Fenris to make up his mind. Now he pushes her to the limit, requesting assistance during his meeting with Varania.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I absolutely adore Fenris, but I also think that those three years were really exhausting for Hawke. I wrote this story so that all my future Hawkes can forgive Fenris right away :) Also, I did my best but I am not a native speaker of English, so forgive me if there are any mistakes.

The story contains game spoilers.

Disclaimer: Dragon Age belongs to Bioware.

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** Chapter 1 **

Hawke took a large vase from the table and threw it against the wall with all her strength. It crashed into pieces with loud noise, leaving her strangely satisfied. A moment later, she heard a knock on the door and Bohdain's polite voice.

"Is everything all right? May I come in?" He asked.

"Everything is okay," she sighed. "Come in if you wish."

He quickly assessed the damage. "Do you want me to send Orana here to clean?"

"It is fine. I just… dropped it," she said lamely.

He looked at the wall and fragments of the vase scattered around the room but said nothing.

But she was far from being fine. She was furious. She returned from Fenris' mansion a few minutes before. He said that he found his sister and asked Hawke to accompany him to the Hanged Man to meet her. "I need you," he said. She would give everything to hear those words from him and she should be dancing with joy, not throwing vases against the wall. But he only needed her support in case Danarius was there.

She loved Fenris so much that it hurt. He rejected her long time ago but she understood his fears and waited patiently until he conquers his demons and is ready to love her back. Her friends always said that she had a fierce temper, but not in this case. She has always been there for him, ready to help without questions, always believing in him, caring, trusting and supportive. She paid for that with endless sleepless nights spent on staring into the darkness and begging the Maker to help them both. Still, she could not give up. He cared about her, she was certain. He just needed more time to trust her. The problem was that right now she felt that he demanded too much.

_I need you there_. She repeated the words in her head again and again. "You are pathetic," she sneered looking into the mirror. "You spent three years loving a man who slept with you and lets you know he does not want you ever since. Get rid of him and start to live!"

She stormed out of the room and headed towards the Fenris' mansion.

"Move!" She growled at the elf. "Before I change my mind!"

He looked at her surprised, but left the house without a word.

At the entrance to the Hanged Man, they stumbled upon Varric. He looked at them both, Hawke boiling with rage and Fenris seemingly indifferent as always, though with anxiety in his eyes. The dwarf decided to silently follow them inside. There were only a few guests and they immediately noticed a red-haired woman sitting alone at one of the tables.

"So it is you," she said looking at Fenris.

"Varania?" His eyes widened as he recognized his sister. "I remember you. We played in our master's courtyard when mother worked. You called me…"

"Leto. That is your name," she interrupted, but she was not smiling and her eyes were fixed on the table.

"What's wrong? Why are you so…"

"I give you three guesses," Hawke snapped, quickly assessing the situation.

"Ah, my little Fenris. Predictable as always." Danarius slowly stepped down the stairs accompanied by a few guards.

"I'm sorry it came to this, Leto." Varania apologized, but there was no regret in her voice. She sounded numb, completely unconcerned about her brother's fate.

"You led him here!" Fury flashed in the elf's eyes. "You think it was the right thing to do!"

"Now, now, Fenris. Don't blame your sister. She did what any good Imperial citizen should." Danarius interrupted gently, but his voice sent shivers down Hawke's spine.

"I never wanted these filthy markings, Danarius! But I won't let you kill me to get them."

"Oh, how little you know, my pet." The mage laughed. "And this is your new mistress then? The Champion of Kirkwall? Quite lovely."

His new mistress? Suddenly, Hawke realized that actually it was Fenris who has been the master for the last three years. She would have done anything to deserve his love. All the pain, rejection and despair she suffered for the last three years surfaced in that moment. She never felt so humiliated before.

"If you want him, he is yours," she said to Danarius without thinking.

"What?!" Fenris looked at her, shocked.

"You are kidding, right?" Varric tried to be the only reasonable person in this madness, but no one seemed to hear him.

"Interesting. I will, of course, make it worth your while," the mage offered, looking at them with amusement in his eyes.

"Don't do this, Hawke. I need you!" Fenris pleaded desperately.

"Oh, that's really funny… you did not need me that much for the last three years!" She hissed. "After guarding him for so long," she pointed to the mage "it was nice to have your own bodyguard for a change, wasn't it? And a really devoted one too."

He said nothing, but his green eyes grew dark.

" You are on your own, Fenris."

"I suppose I should not be surprised," he sighed.

"Hawke, this is a really bad idea. Trust me, you do not want to do this." Isabela emerged from one of the dark corners of the pub, where she was evidently following the conversation without being seen.

"Stay out of it!" Hawke warned sharply.

"I always said that a heartbroken woman is more dangerous than a bunch of Qunari," murmured Varric looking at the ceiling.

"No, Varric," the elf interrupted. "Hawke is right. She has been protecting me for too long. I should face the consequences of my actions."

"What should it be, Fenris? Would you throw your life away?" Danarius asked mockingly.

For a moment, Fenris seemed to consider this solution.

"Don't be a fool!" The mage also noticed his hesitation. But the elf has already made his decision.

"I have been a fool for too long. I will go with you," he bent his head with resignation.

"Lovely. Here is a token of my appreciation, Champion," Danarius said. "I'm sure I can arrange to have something more… appropriate sent along soon. Come along everyone. The boat is ready and we have a long way to go."


	2. Chapter 2

** Chapter 2 **

Seconds later everything was very quiet. The majority of guests almost magically left the inn when Danarius appeared. Now some of them were peering inside and slowly returning to their tables.

"I have never heard such silence in the Hanged Man before," Varric remarked. "Are you sure that is what you wanted?"

"Come on, we will talk in your room. This show was enough," Isabela led them upstairs.

"Maybe I am mistaken," Varric seated himself on the couch and continued, "but I thought you, well, rather like Fenris?"

"I _rather liked_ him. But I am really happy that I could remove him from my life once and for all!" Hawke replied angrily and promptly started to cry.

"This is… exactly what I… wanted," she whispered between sobs.

"But slavery left him broken… It took him a long time to learn to trust again. Remember, at the beginning he was suspecting every one of us to stab him in the back any moment. It was very cruel of you," said Isabela.

"I am more worried about what Danarius is going to do with him. He has to punish a slave for escaping. And he is going to enjoy it, I'm afraid," added Varric.

"There is something really repulsive about this mage. It felt as if something cold and slimy was moving over my skin when he spoke," Isabela shivered, glancing at Hawke, who stopped crying and was staring at them with horror and dismay on her face.

"What have I done?! Maker's breath, why didn't you stop me?!" She exclaimed.

"I prefer my head properly connected to my neck, thank you very much," the dwarf snapped.

"It's not that we did not try," Isabela protested. "But you should have seen yourself."

Hawke stood up and impatiently wiped her eyes. She was very pale and her hands were trembling, but her voice was firm and commanding.

"Varric, get Merril and Anders. If Anders refuses, tell him I will deal with him personally. And he is not going to like it. Isabela, find Aveline. I will go to the docks and locate their boat. Meet me there as soon as possible!"

"That's my girl," Isabela smiled with relief.

* * *

Hawke run all the way to the docks. She tried to focus on the task, but thoughts were racing through her head. Are they going to make it? Can they save Fenris? What is Danarius going to do with the elf? What if he wanted to reclaim him just to kill him? And the worse question of all: Can she ever be forgiven?

She reached the docks and began to move more carefully, but there was nothing unusual. Workers carrying various stuff, merchants engaged in their usual business, a few guards... A large boat was floating on the water, slowly but steadily moving away from the shore. For a second, Hawke's heart stopped beating. "No," she warned herself, "don't go crazy. You left the inn just a few minutes later. It is just some other boat." Besides, if it really was Danarius with his men, she was going to follow them. Anywhere. Tevinter was not that far, after all.

Hawke moved along the piers, peering into corners and listening to people talking. She even asked a few workers, but learned nothing. After a while, she started to get nervous. Time was running out. Suddenly, she noticed a cloaked figure clearly looking at her from a dark corner between the buildings. She moved closer and with surprise recognized Fenris' sister.

"Please, can we talk?" The woman whispered and drew her deeper into the shadows. "I was looking for you."

"You!" For a second, Hawke forgot why she was actually searching the docks. "You brought this upon him!"

"And you were always his guardian angel, right?" The woman replied sharply and Hawke gritted her teeth.

"I did not mean to upset you," Varania's voice immediately became smooth and polite. It reminded Hawke of Orana, who was perfect in suppressing her emotions in a second. "I wanted to ask you to… think it over. Please, help my brother."

"Do you know where he is?!"

"Yes. The boat can be reached only through a building. They will not leave without me, so you still have some time."

"Is this some kind of trick? Why do you want my help after you brought this man here?"

"I will explain everything, just tell me… Will you help him? My brother has changed. He has never been so rebellious before. Danarius is going to kill him sooner or later. I know you were friends or even more…"

"You know that? Well, you will have to explain that too."

Varania's eyes were dark with fear and anxiety. She seemed to be a completely different person than the cold, emotionless woman from the inn. But did she want to protect her brother or herself? Hawke suddenly felt very tired. "I love him," she said simply. "It's… complicated. We haven't been exactly the happiest couple in Kirkwall. I was furious and I made the biggest mistake in my life. I came here to find him."

"Thank the Maker. But you love him? This is strange…"

"But why did you lead Danarius here? How could you do something like that?" Hawke cut in impatiently.

"I could ask you the same question," Varania retorted, visibly relieved after learning Hawke's intentions. "It seemed to be a good plan, the best I could think of. But everything went wrong…"

"Tell me about it, but be quick, "Hawke interrupted.

"Danarius found me much earlier than Leto did. He followed my every step. He offered me a job as a servant... At least it is a little better than slavery. But I knew he did it because he was after my brother."

"And you agreed?" Hawke asked, doing her best not to sound reproachful.

"You are the Champion of Kirkwall," Varania answered with bitterness in her voice. "You have no idea what I had to do to survive! Sometimes familiar evil is better, at least you know what to expect…"

"I'm sorry," for the first time, Hawke felt a touch of sympathy for the woman.

"When Leto started sending messages, Danarius wanted to set a trap. He gathered information about him, you and your friends. I managed to overhear a lot. I tried to prevent his arrival for some time, but I could not delay it any longer. Leto should have known that Danarius is following me!"

"So what did you expect? That he will just kill his former master?"

"He has been free for a long time, I thought it is possible. From what I learned about you, I thought you would stand by him too…"

"So, basically, you lured your brother into a trap, hoping that we would kill Danarius?" Hawke asked, without commenting Varania's last words.

"What else could I do?"

"You could have escaped, you could have warned him! There are many things you could have done."

"Perhaps I'm not like you… But the time is running out. Danarius…" The woman bent her head and sighed. "He allowed me to go buy a new dress. As a reward."

"What?! Oh, I don't want to listen about this monster anymore. Let's go."

"I will show you the entrance but you should not go there alone."

"I cannot wait for the others. We wasted enough time." Hawke answered sternly.

They moved into a dark alley without noticing that one of the dock workers followed them, hiding behind the crates.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you so much for the reviews, this is the first story I posted here, so every comment is precious!

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Chapter 3

Isabela, Varric, Aveline, Anders and Merril rushed to the docks as fast as they could, but then they had to stop. Hawke was nowhere to be seen, there was no sign of fight, no bodies or traces of blood that would clearly indicate her presence. Isabela decided to go and look around, leaving the rest of the party discussing what to do next.

"I know many of these people. I suppose, every person working here is going to appear in my clinic sooner or later," Anders said grimly. "No one cares about their safety. Perhaps I should ask someone."

At the same time, one of the workers noticed them and approached with hesitation.

"Good day, serah," he greeted them, looking at Anders.

"Johns?" Anders recognized one of his former patients. "How is your leg?"

"It is really fine. I cannot say how grateful I am for your help," the worker answered. "But I wanted to ask you something else… aren't you looking for the Champion?"

"Have you seen her?" Aveline cut in impatiently. "Tell us what you know."

"I have seen her talk to a woman, who arrived on a boat today together with… Well, it looked strange and I knew that the Champion is a friend of serah Anders, so I followed her. She entered a building, there," he pointed to a dark alleyway. "She went inside and did not come back."

"This woman is mad! She went there all alone because of that wailing elf!" Anders exclaimed. "And I thought she was finally growing wiser!"

"Anders!" Aveline gasped. "This is really a bad time for this. Thank you, Johns," she turned to the worker and gave him a coin.

"Be careful, serah… this building is owned by a gang of slavers. You won't tell anyone that you learned this from me, right?" He asked nervously.

"Don't worry," Anders assured him. "Just take care of yourself."

Johns went away and they waited for Isabela, who emerged from the shadows a while later. "One of my friends told me that the Reining Men have an important guest today. We should check that building over there."

"One of your friends, huh?" Varric grinned at her.

"Hawke is already inside. We need to hurry." Aveline naturally took over the command. "We have to storm the entrance, there is no time for subtle work."

They moved quietly, but there was no sign of guards. The doors were open, so they went in, but the building seemed to be abandoned. The party crossed a narrow hallway and entered an open area with a large boat moored at berth to their left. Finally, they encountered dead bodies along the way to the boat.

"At least we know Hawke was here," Varric muttered.

"Yeah, I was beginning to worry," Aveline gave him a crooked smile.

"This is really huge!" Merril whispered in awe, looking at the boat.

"Oh Kitten, save such words for more intimate situations," Isabela sneered. "Men really like to hear such things."

"Intimate?" The elf girl blushed at the thought. "But why should I talk about boats in… intimate situations?"

"Shhh," Aveline gestured them towards the gangway. "I can hear something."

They entered the boat and rushed downstairs, passing more dead guards on the way. The unmistakable sounds of fight were growing louder until they reached a large open space, probably a sleeping area for the sailors.

Merril gave a cry of dismay. Hawke was fighting in the middle of the room, surrounded by demons and abominations. She was breathing heavily, her armor covered in blood and dust, but her movements were still graceful and precise.

"Hawke! Draw back!" Aveline shouted.

"Never!" Came the answer. "I am here to help him. Or die trying!"

They quickly scanned the area and noticed Fenris in the far corner of the room. He was holding his great sword, but his chest was bare and there were broken chains on his wrists and ankles. He was fighting Danarius, but the mage was laughing and easily avoiding all attacks.

The party charged without hesitation, Aveline immediately taunting most of the attackers. Danarius gave them a quick glance and summoned more demons. This moment of concentration allowed Fenris to reach him with the sword. A few drops of blood appeared on the mage's cheek.

"Enough!" he shouted and cast a powerful spell throwing the elf against the wall with immense power.

"Fenris!" Hawke screamed, rushing towards them, but Danarius was faster.

He caught the dazed elf and put a dagger to his neck.

"Drop your weapon, Champion! Or our precious little wolf dies."

"Don't," the elf whispered. "He is not going to kill me."

"I will never fail you again, Fenris." The sword immediately slid from Hawke's hand.

"How romantic!" Danarius sneered. "But my pet, if she always changes her mind so often, tomorrow she will sell you to someone else."

"Release him!" Aveline said approaching them. "Or I will show you how we deal with slavers here in Kirkwall."

"My lovely guard captain, I am going to take what belongs to me and leave soon. Perhaps you shouldn't worry your pretty little head about this."

"If you let him go, maybe we will let you live," Isabela suggested coldly.

Actually…" The mage smiled maliciously, "I don't need him anymore. He is too rebellious for a good slave. Unfortunately, you are going to die here. All of you."

"Perhaps I can offer you something more interesting," Hawke paused for a moment and swallowed hard. Then she continued. "Take me instead of him. I swear I will obey you, as long as he is safe."

"My, my, you really mean that, don't you?"

The mage looked at her with amazement, unconsciously lowering the hand holding a dagger. He did not even notice it, but this was enough for Fenris. In a blink of an eye, the elf slid out of the mage's grasp, kicked the staff from his hand and sent him to the wall, giving him a powerful blow with his fist. His markings glowed blue. Seconds later, Danarius choked as he stared in disbelief at the elf's hand reaching deep into his chest. Then he helplessly slid to the floor. For a long while, Fenris looked at the mage's motionless body.

"So it is over," he sighed. "He is finally dead."

"Are you wounded?" Merril looked at the elf.

"What happened here before we arrived?" Isabela asked.

"I will be fine. What happened here? He chained me to the wall and was going to whip me," the elf shrugged. "I managed to damage the chains and I attacked him as soon as we were alone. He tried to appear confident, but was already tired when Hawke came."

"What did he mean, when he said that you are too rebellious?" Isabela gave the elf a curious look.

"I was not afraid of him, I was not… submissive. I attacked him. Maybe this was enough."

"You really scared us, you know," Varric said conversationally, looking at Hawke. "But even Danarius couldn't resist the vision of the Champion of Kirkwall being his slave!"

"For a second, I thought you were completely out of your mind," Anders looked at her reprovingly. "Then I realized that you were bluffing."

"I wasn't," she answered sharply and went towards the stairs without looking at anyone.

Fenris gathered his armor and weapon. Then he allowed Varric to remove the chains from his wrists and ankles. They left the building and started walking slowly towards Hightown. When they reached the entrance to the docks, Fenris stopped.

"Thank you for helping me. I am really grateful to all of you. But now I need some time alone."

"Understandable. You know where to find us, if you need anything." Varric winked to the elf.

Hawke raised her head, for the first time since they left the boat. She looked at Fenris, but he avoided her eyes.

"Do you need anything?" She asked. "Your wounds should be healed…"

"I will be fine."

"Please, can we talk?"

"I really need to be alone now."

"I talked to your sister." Hawke tried in desperation.

A glimpse of interest appeared in his eyes, so she continued.

"She helped me find you. She said…"

"Thanks for telling me, but now I really have to go." The elf replied evenly and turned into the direction of his mansion.

Hawke watched him walk away and struggled to hold back the tears. She bit her lip so hard that she tasted blood in her mouth. Her whole life was falling to pieces and there was nothing she could do.


	4. Chapter 4

This is the last chapter. Thanks to everyone who read, commented, faved and followed! I really appreciate that :)

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Chapter 4

A while later Anders and Merril also left the company. The rest started walking towards Hawke's house. Everyone seemed to be deep in their own thoughts.

"Hawke, your lip is bleeding. I thought Anders took care of your wounds," Aveline remarked after a long while.

"Apparently he forgot this one," Hawke answered absently.

"Thank the Maker, it all ended well. I should have been there. You wouldn't do such a stupid thing."

"Aveline, you don't really need to kick a man when he is down," Isabela cut in.

"You think that I am a monster, don't you?" Hawke looked at her friends with resignation.

"We all make our mistakes," Aveline shrugged. "Fortunately, you managed to remedy yours."

"But why did you allow me to do this?!"

"We could not exactly reason with you, you know. I gave you ten minutes to come to your senses," Isabela said. "After that I was ready to leave you and go alone to help Fenris."

"Well, not exactly alone," Varric grinned. "I would certainly have gone with you."

"Not only handsome, but also fearless," Isabela grinned at the dwarf. "We should drink to that. I'm inviting you and Bianca to the Hanged Man. Hawke, you really need to rest. Come for a drink later, we can talk then."

"I will walk you home," Aveline decided, glancing at Hawke. "You really look exhausted."

They almost reached the mansion in silence. Finally, Aveline hesitantly started talking. "Maybe I am not the right person to discuss it, but I thought that you two were getting along fine. I know that you care about him, you would make a nice couple and..."

"Aveline," Hawke looked at her tiredly. "Get to the point, please."

"Fine, I will get straight to the point," Aveline gave her a reproachful look. "Why did you do it, for the Maker's sake?"

"The problem is that… I don't know. It just happened. As if I was standing in the corner and looking at someone else. I have never regretted anything more in my life, isn't this enough? It was just a moment of madness. Please, I don't want to discuss it right now."

"Fine, but don't think you can escape this conversation."

Hawke looked at the door to her mansion with relief. Everything she wanted was to go to her room and lock the door. Preferably forever.

"Thanks, Aveline. I really need to rest," she said and quietly entered the house.

That evening Hawke spent hours sitting on her bed and staring at the wall. She tortured herself with the memory of the night she spent with Fenris and the overwhelming happiness she felt when falling asleep in his arms… only to wake up and see him go. Yes, she could feel hurt. But she betrayed her friend and hurt her love. Hawke has never felt so miserable in her whole life. "Maker, please help me," she prayed desperately, burying her face in the pillows. "I swear, I will never let my temper control my actions again!"

On the following days, she could not focus on anything. She only dealt with small tasks around Kirkwall. At first, her companions tiptoed around her, then each of them attempted to talk to her, but she refused. Her conscience was bothering her all the time. However, Isabela was adamant that Fenris would return sooner or later and this was the only thing that kept Hawke alive.

A month passed without any sign of the elf. One evening, Hawke stood in her bedroom, staring into the mirror. There were only a few lamps in the room, but she noticed that she looked awful. Lack of sleep was clearly visible in her features - dark circles under eyes, pale skin and lines on the forehead. She heard a knock on the door and wondered tiredly who was going to invade her this time. She turned around just to see Fenris at the doorway. He walked inside and silently closed the door.

"You wanted to talk," he said, as if Danarius died the day before and not a month ago.

Hawke did not answer. She was so overwhelmed with emotions that she could not speak. She imagined hundreds of times what she would tell him, if he ever returned. Now she just gasped for air and watched him with wide eyes. He smirked slightly at her expression.

"Hawke, calm down. I came here just to talk," he said. "I heard that you are on the best way to turn yourself into a zombie, not enough food, not enough sleep, tormenting yourself that you are unworthy of living and so on."

Still unable to speak, she sat on her bed and buried her face in her hands.

"You must think I'm hysterical," she muttered and then raised her head to look at him. Words were coming back to her and this could be the only chance to talk to him.

"Oh, Fenris, I'm so sorry! I never meant to harm you! I really don't know what happened to me that day. If I was a mage, I would think I was possessed by a demon, but I'm not… I just went completely mad. I don't understand it. Last month has been a nightmare."

"But I think I understand," his expression was inscrutable. "At least partially."

"I will not ask you to be friends again," she sighed and bent her head. "But can you forgive me?"

Fenris walked up to a window and stared into the darkness for a while.

"We have a lot to explain to each other. When you refused to help, I panicked. It was a painful lesson, but I must say I needed it. I escaped from Danarius but I was still afraid of him. I did not know whether I would still obey him, if he finally found me. I was very comfortable with you, depending on someone else again."

"I expected you to come and kill me one day, not explain," Hawke said warily.

"Well, I thought about that," he teased but then became serious again. "Try to imagine the situation if you helped me. You would kill Danarius for me, just as you did with all other thugs and mercenaries. And in my mind, I would remain a slave forever. Can you understand my point of view?"

"I suppose so, yes." She nodded.

"I had to face him alone. To be sure that I am not his puppet anymore. I am free now. Independent. Self-reliant. Whatever you call it."

"You look different," Hawke eyed his slender silhouette. His posture used to be stooped, with head usually bent down and slightly slumped shoulders. Now he carried himself upright and did not avoid eye contact. Hawke noticed that he was actually a little taller than her. "You used to… oh, nevermind."

"I know what you mean," he smiled at her confusion. "Isabela told me that I am not hunching anymore. She also told me that I should see you. She and Varric met me outside Kirkwall. I really have no idea how they knew I was coming back. You know, sometimes I think they would make a perfect couple."

"So, where have you been? It has been over a month." Hawke asked.

"I found Varania. There was a lot to explain, on both sides. We are not on very friendly terms, but it is a good start. And there was one more person to settle my accounts with." His eyes gleamed with grim determination. "Danarius had another apprentice. I know I cannot kill all slavers, but could not allow him to be anyone's master. He was a monster. When I killed him, I knew that I am free."

"You went to Tevinter?" Hawke asked in amazement.

"Fortunately, I did not have to go that far. My sister knew where to find him."

"You seem to be so… happy with yourself," Hawke mused. "Do you think you can forgive me one day?"

"I already did. You have always acted first and thought later. And there is something I need to tell you." He looked a little embarrassed. "I have always known that you were… attracted to me. I was a coward. Every day I thought that if you waited so long, you could wait a little more, until I deal with all my issues. What happened was partially my fault."

"This is not true. I should be able to control my emotions and deal with my problems," she responded immediately, pretending that she did not notice the rest of his words.

"I couldn't deal with mine," he opposed. "How could I expect that from anyone?"

"But my life was ordinary… well, much more ordinary than yours," Hawke answered. "There is no excuse for me. Don't try to make me feel better."

Suddenly, Fenris walked up to her and touched her cheek. "You look terrible. Do you even sleep at all?"

"I haven't been sleeping for a month," she joked weakly, staring at him with wide eyes. Was he really looking at her with concern and… tenderness? She gathered her courage and decided that they have to make everything clear. Even the most painful issues.

"So you knew… what I felt?" She asked, not daring to look at him.

Fenris sat on the bed next to her and took her hand in his.

"I did. And I wanted to be with you, Hawke. I never wanted anyone else."

She gasped softly, but said nothing.

"I was thinking like a slave," he sighed. "I did not want to give you power over me, I thought I did not deserve you or that we are too different… I found various excuses but the truth was that I was afraid of taking responsibility for my life."

Hawke bit her lip and tightly clasped his hand, still holding hers. But she had to ask.

"I love you, Fenris," she said softly. "I always have. Do you think we can still make it right?"

"Last time we gave up before we even tried. Let's do not make that mistake again. If we fail, at least we will know that we tried."

Hawke smiled, though tears came to her eyes. It was not like they would live happily ever after, but life was not that simple. They both had hope and that was all that mattered.

THE END


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